[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 147 (Thursday, December 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        SUPPORT ROBUST FUNDING FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 4, 2014

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as co-chair of the 
Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease to help raise awareness about the 
impact of Alzheimer's and the importance of increasing federal 
resources to assist individuals, families and caregivers.
   In the United States, Alzheimer's has reached epidemic proportions. 
Today, the disease--a degenerative condition for which there is no cure 
or any effective treatment--is the 6th leading cause of death in our 
country, with a 68 percent increase in deaths caused by Alzheimer's 
within the last 10 years. Over 5.2 million Americans currently have 
this form of dementia and the number of family members and caregivers 
affected reaches more than 15 million. In my home state of New Jersey, 
an estimated 170,000 Garden State residents suffer from Alzheimer's, 
and 443,000 caregivers provided unpaid care. As our elderly population 
grows, the number of Americans affected by this disease is expected to 
triple by 2050.
   The economic consequences of Alzheimer's are immense, and resources 
and assistance must be allocated appropriately to change the trajectory 
of the disease. Alzheimer's currently costs Americans $150 billion 
annually in Medicare and Medicaid programs alone. By 2050, care of 
Alzheimer's patients could reach $850 billion in Medicare and Medicaid 
costs. Including out of pocket and other expenses, the number totals 
one trillion.
   Sharing the impact of the disease are the 15 million family members 
and others who act as caregivers and provide an estimated 17 billion 
hours of unpaid care--often relinquishing their jobs and other 
obligations to do so. These caregivers also endure significantly high 
rates of physical and emotional stress while attending to their loved 
ones. While their sacrifices are born of love and remain personally 
priceless, the economic costs of unpaid care are estimated to exceed 
$200 billion annually.
   Research and preventative services are important tools that not only 
raise the quality of life for patients and families but serve as an 
investment that will reduce future costs. Accordingly, I worked with 
former Congressman, now Senator, Ed Markey (D-MA)--then Co-Chair of the 
Task Force--in 2010 to write the House-version of the National 
Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) which became Public Law 111-375. Our 
legislation established the ambitious goal of preventing and 
successfully treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025 in the United States, 
and required an annual National Plan to achieve this goal.
   It is vital that we commit ourselves fully to this objective and 
time is of the essence.
   We must make a robust investment in research at the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institutes on Aging (NIA). 
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS & Education 
recently approved their FY 2015 bill, which calls for an additional 
$100 million in funding at the NIA. This funding will go a long way 
toward meeting the goals laid out in NAPA.
   But we can do better--not only with funding but with better 
information and planning.
   On that note, the Subcommittee also included language directing NIH 
to submit a professional judgment budget for Alzheimer's disease 
research. As a cosponsor of the Alzheimer's Accountability Act (H.R. 
4351), I firmly believe that unfiltered information specifying the 
resources necessary to meet the goals and objectives laid out in the 
National Plan would provide Congress with a valuable tool for setting 
research and service priorities.
   Mr. Speaker, yesterday Rep. Maxine Waters--the current Co-chair of 
the Task Force--and I sent a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members 
of the House Appropriations Committee requesting that they include the 
Senate Subcommittee's funding level and the language requiring a 
professional judgment budget in the coming spending package.
   I urge my colleagues to accept this request and work with the Task 
Force to continue to boost funding for Alzheimer's research and 
services in the coming years.

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